A certain individual by the name of Sholomo Molla recently published an article that criticized the message shared on X/Twitter by Ambassador Ervin Massinga, the US Ambassador to Ethiopia.
The writer accused the Ambassador of downplaying what he described as an existential threat posed by the Federal Government of Ethiopia against the people of Amhara. This claim is not only profoundly erroneous but also dangerously misleading.
Let’s be clear: there is no existential threat posed by the Federal Government of Ethiopia against the Amhara people.
The Amhara are the second-largest ethnic group in the country, with 138 seats in the House of Peoples' Representatives, and they are well-represented in both the executive and judiciary branches of the Federal Government.
Moreover, the Amhara people have their own regional government, exercising their constitutional right to self-governance. The current government is democratically elected, including votes from the Amhara constituencies. Therefore, the notion that the federal government has declared war on its own people is baseless, myopic, and an attempt to incite ethnic division.
Humanitarian crisis in the region perpetrated by Fano militias
The writer also claims that the humanitarian crisis in the Amhara region—including the closure of schools and the collapse of the healthcare system—is a deliberate policy of the federal government to collectively punish the Amhara people.
This is another false and dangerous accusation. The reality is that the humanitarian crisis in the region is a direct result of the lawlessness and banditry perpetrated by the so-called Fano militias.
First and foremost, it is the Fano militias who forcibly prevent students from attending school. They have turned schools into camps and warehouses for storing looted goods and military logistics. Even more troubling, Fano militias have harassed, humiliated, and beaten school principals and teachers whose only “crime” was attempting to educate children in rural Amhara. These facts are well documented and cannot be denied.
Likewise, Fano militias are actively preventing farmers from using fertilizers, improved seeds, and irrigation systems during the dry season, further undermining agricultural productivity and food security in the region. They extort exorbitant sums of money from the Amhara population under the guise of supporting the “struggle,” but in reality, the funds are often appropriated by Fano leaders and rank-and-file members for their own enrichment.
It is important to understand that the Fano militias are not a unified political force. They are fragmented, self-appointed groups that often identify themselves by the localities they operate in rather than any cohesive Amhara identity. These groups engage in kidnapping for ransom, set up illegal checkpoints on rural roads, and extort drivers under threat of violence. Some even kill drivers who cannot pay the demanded sums. Ambassador Massinga’s characterization of them as “those that call themselves Fano” is therefore entirely accurate.
Both the Federal Government and the Amhara Regional Government have repeatedly extended offers of dialogue to the Fano leaders to resolve the conflict through peaceful means. The Amhara Regional Government, in particular, has deployed respected local elders and religious leaders to initiate traditional reconciliation efforts. However, these attempts have been met with contempt; Fano militias have humiliated, detained, and even assaulted these respected figures.
The Ethiopian National Dialogue Commission has also made multiple calls for Fano militias to engage in dialogue and negotiation rather than continuing their campaign of violence and destruction. Apart from a single small faction, these overtures have largely been ignored by Fano leaders.
Moreover, the Fano militias lack any coherent political vision, mission, structure, or command. They have not articulated any clear political objectives or goals. In short, they do not represent a legitimate political movement but rather a loose network of violent groups whose actions are harming the very people they claim to defend.
In conclusion, the claims made by Sholomo Molla are not only misleading but also dangerous, as they risk fueling ethnic division and undermining efforts to restore peace and stability. The truth is that the real threat to the Amhara people comes not from the federal government but from the violent, fragmented, and self-serving actions of the so-called Fano militias. It is imperative that all stakeholders focus on supporting peace, development, and the rule of law rather than amplifying dangerous falsehoods.
The writer is the ambassador of Ethiopia to the State of Israel.